George+Tiller's+Labor+Relations+Problem

George Tiller's Labor Relations Problem
//"Practical Manager/Administrative Director//

//Seeking hands-on Office Manger for busy women's surgical practice. Qualified individual will be pro-choice, self-directed, dependable, with medical office supervisory exp. College degree. Lotus 1-2-3 and WordPerfect skills preferred. Send resume to Medical Director, 5101 E. Kellogg, Wichita, IX 67218"//

Tracy Jones applied for the job and started work in May of 1993. According to the lawsuit she filed after she was fired in August of 1993, Tiller was dictatorial, micromanaging, and prone to "whimsical, arrogant and tyrannical outbursts." The main thrust of the suit is that she was hired as an exempt management employee, but Tiller would not allow her to manage, instead giving her non-exempt tasks. She sued for a considerable amount of overtime money she said she should have been paid for picking up cigarette butts, making coffee, going to the 7-11 to get drinks for Tiller, and other non-exempt tasks.

Aside from the complaints over pay and job description, Tracy's suit makes some very interesting allegations about Tiller and his practice.

//"There were no 'training manuals' for new employees, and there was no time (or instructions from Dr. Tiller) to develop them. Basically it was a 'sink or swim' situation for new front office employees. We did have a cursory telephone answering procedure sheet to follow, but generally a new employee received on-the-job training by all of the front office employees. Further, front office employees were routinely called back to the medical area to assist medical employees with direct patient care without receiving any training in this area."//

Tasks front-office employees did included washing surgical instruments and wrapping them for autoclave, operating the sonogram during surgery, explaining aftercare instructions to patients, and preparing specimens, according to the suit. Non-medical staff participating in medical tasks is often found when abortion facilities are investigated. If anything, Tiller seems conservative. At least he doesn't have his receptionist or janitor administering general anesthesia, like Hanan Rotem or Joe Bill Reynolds.

//"Dr. Tiller paid 'kick-backs' to certain individuals who referred patients to him: [I.S.] in New York; [C.F.] in Tulsa, Oklahoma and [C.K.] in Atlanta, Georgia... Dr. Tiller required me to account for these payments (other than [I.S.], who he paid in cash) as 'Other Advertising' on the books."//

I would love to see an investigation of this. It wouldn't be the first time an abortionist was caught paying kickbacks.

//"Dr. Tiller instructed me to routinely over-bill Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas. For example, we billed BC/BS $786 for a first trimester procedure, while patients actually paid only $225 or $330. Dr. Tiller advised me that he 'pioneered' this billing procedure, and that other clinics across the country were doing it as well. The way it worked was that $786 was booked as the actual procedure fee, the patient paid either $225 or $330, and the remainder ($561 or $456) was written off in the 'adjustments' column. When patients questioned this, we advised that $786 was the actual cost of our service, but that in order to remain competitive we took a loss, or a write-off, to keep our prices low."//

Situations like this are the reason I have a section on Fraud, Crime, and Tax Evasion.

Is Tracy telling the truth? Her allegations are fairly bland compared with some behaviors abortionists have been accused of, which makes them plausible. I'll let you know if I hear of any further developments.

Source: US District Court of Kansas Case No. 94-1138-MLB